Cultivator.



No. 892,340. PATENTBD JUNE so, 1908.

. w. J. WATSON.

GULTIVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 19.1907.

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No. 892,340. PATENTED JUNE 30, 1908. W. J. WATSON. GULTIVATOR.'APPLIOATION FILED DEL-19,1907.

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WILLIAM J. WATSON, OF LUCAMA, NORTH CAROLINA.

CULTIVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 30, 1908.

Application filed December 19, 1907. Serial No. 407,181.

T 0 all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. WATSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Lucama, in the county of W'ilson and State of NorthCarolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cultivators, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cultivators intended primarily for thecultivation of cotton plants, although, of course, the presentcultivator is not limited to this use.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify theconstruction and operation of apparatus of this character so as toenable the plants to be cultivated with great thoroughness, despatch andease, and with less danger of the cultivator becoming choked with vines,stalks and the like, so that the cultivator can be better managed andthe likelihood of rooting out the plants mini mized.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a cultivatorhaving suitably arranged gangs of rotary disks for working the soilalong both sides of a row of plants, and also having larger disksarranged one in advance of each gang of smaller disks and so disposed asto throw the earth outwardly, there being em loyed clipping blades forcutting down the leaves or grass in advance of the soil-working disks,the various parts being adjustable for different working conditions.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cultivator of thecharacter referred to having a beam composed of hingedly-connectedsections for the purpose of permitting the o erator to readily controlthe cultivator to fol ow the deviations in the rows of plants or to holdthe working elements in proper relation to the plants in case the horsethat is hitched to the front section of the beam should deviate from astraight course.

WVith these objects in view and others, as will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention comprises the various novel featuresof construction and arrangement of arts which will be more fullydescribed hereinafter and set forth with particularity in the claimsappended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate one of the embodiments ofthe invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of the cultivator with the frontend of the beam broken away. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3

is a front view of the cultivator. Fig. 4 is a pers ective view of oneof the supporting brac gets for the cli ping or chopping blades. Fig. 5is a sectionaFview of one of the gangs of disks. Fig 6 is a perspectiveview of one of the blades. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a block forsupporting one of the main rotary disks.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate correspondingparts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the beam which is composed offront and rear sections 1 and 2 respectively, connected by a hingejoint, the joint consisting of plates 3 bolted to the top and bottomsides of the section 2 and projecting forwardly therefrom to receivebetween them the rear end of the section 1, and passing through theplates and said latter section is a bolt 4 that serves as a pivot onwhich the rear section can be swung to the right or left for the purposeof following deviations in the rows of plants. The front end of thesection 1 is provided with a device 5, whereby a horse can be hitched tothe cultivator by a clevis or the like. Attached to the rear end of thesection 2 of the beam are the usual handles 6 whereby the operator cancontrol the movement of the cultivator.

On the rear section 2 of the beam is an inverted U-shaped frame Bconsisting of a metal bar bent into the appropriate shape and having itsextremities 7 bent outwardly in opposite directions and disposed in ahorizontal plane. The section 2 is provided with a recess 8 into whichthe right hand arm 9 of the frame'B is set, and the frame is secured inposition by a bolt 10 passing through the beam and frame. The other arm11 of the frame B is held in fixed position by a bracket 12 that has itsrear end 13 presented to the outside of the arm 11 and secured theretoby a bolt 14, the front end of the bracket being fastened to the section2 of the beam by a bolt 15. The lower ends of the arms 9 and 10 are riidly held in fixed relation by a cross bar 16 that passes throughapertures in the 'arms and is provided with nuts 17 for clamp ing theparts firmly together.

As shown in Fig. 2, an S-shaped member or bar 18 is bolted or otherwisesuitably secured to the arm 9 and section 2 of the beam,

and the rear lower end is bent outwardly to form a lug 19. On the sideof the frame B opposite from the side carrying the S-shaped bar 18is anarcuate or quadrant member 20 which, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, isbolted at 21 to the arm 11 of the frame B and has its lower end bentoutwardly to form a lug 22. The members 18 and 20 are held in fixed relation by a cross-bar 23 which also projects through the lower ends ofthe handles 6 which are clamped against each other. and against themember 18 by a nut 24 on the said cross-rod 23, as shown in Fig. 3. Thequadrant member 20 is braced from one of the handles by means of a bar25 secured respectively, to the handle and cross-bar 23 and this brace25 cooperates with the brace 12 to hold the right hand end of the frameB and adjacent parts rigidly in position so as to withstand the strainsand shocks brought to bear upon them. Secured to the lower ends of thearms 9 and 11 of the frame B are L- shaped brackets 26 having theirlower extremities projecting inwardly toward each other from the armsand disposed in the same plane with the lugs or extremities 7 on theframe B. The foregoing structure constitutes the framework of thecultivator which carries the adjustable soil-working elements.

Carried by the lugs 19 and 22 are inverted U-shaped pivotally-mountedframes 27, each of which, as shown in Fig. 5, has bearings 28 forreceiving the spindle or axle 29. On each axle 29 are arranged a gang ofrotary concaved disks 30 that are held apart by spacers or sleeves 31and are clamped to the axle by nuts 32 which screw home against theouter-' most disks and thus clamp the spacers and disks firmly to theaxle to rotate therewith. The frames 27 are disposed under the supporting lugs 19 and 22 and are pivotally secured to the lugs by bolts33, and the frames are held in adjusted position by clamping bolts 34that pass through the lugs and through slots 35 struck around theapertures through which the pivots 33 extend. By this means, the gangscan be independently adjusted for the desired Working conditions.Located in advance of each gang of disks is a large disk 36 that servesto throw the soil outwardly from the row of plants and for the purposeof cutting off clods of soil and move them out of the way of the smallerdisks 30. Each disk 36 is mounted to turn on a bolt 37 that extendsthrough the horizontal aperture in a block 39, the said block beingbolted to the under side of one of the lugs or extremities 7 of theframe B. The

blocks 39 are mounted on vertical pivots or bolts 40 and are clamped inadjusted position.

wardly in a lateral direction. These brackets are composed of strips ofmetal doubled to form horizontal arms 46 and 47, the former being setinto recesses 48 in the bottom surfaces of the blocks 39, while thelatter are disposed over the lugs 7 of the frame B. These brackets aresecured in position and are adjustable with the blocks by means of thebolts 40 and 41. On the outer extremities of these brackets are fendersor teeth 49 that serve to turn vines, stalks and the like out of thepath of the disks and at the same time, insure level running of themachine. The teeth 49 have spaced apertures 50 for receiving bolts 51for securing the teeth to the brackets, the apertures providing forvertical adjustment of the teeth so that the depth of penetration can beregulated, the furrows formed by the teeth permitting the disks toreadily follow. In front of the gangs of smaller disks are clippingblades 52 which are adapted to penetrate the soil and cut down the weedsand grass without, however, leaving the soil unlevel. The blades aredisposed horizontally and are provided with upstanding shanks 53. Theshanks are formed with spring lugs 54, as shown in Fig. 6, between whichlugs project the lower ends of adjustable supporting members 55.

As shown in Fig. 4, the lower verticallyextending end of each supportingmember 55 has a vertically-extending slot 56 which registers with theapertures 57, Fig. 6, of the lugs 54 and clamping bolts 58 pass throughthe said apertures and slots of the parts so as to clamp them inposition, the slots permitting of the blades 52 being adjusted to varythe depth of penetration. porting members 55 have their upperextremities disposed horizontally and presented to the under side of thebrackets 26, and these extremities are provided with longitudinal slots59 through which pass the bolts 60 for securing the members 55 to thebrackets 26 and the slots permit the said members and blades 52 to beadjusted toward or away from each other. Under some conditions, it mightbe preferable to operate the cultivator without the blades 52 and thesecan be taken off by removing the bolts 58, whereupon the shanks 53 canbe slipped off the lower ends of the members 55. The blades cut theweeds and grass which might not otherwise be affected by the disks 30,and they also loosen the soil so that the disks can more readily throwthe loosened soil inwardly toward the plants.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of themethod of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the artto which the invention appertains, and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention, together with the apparatuswhich I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof,

I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is merelyillustrative, and that such changes may be made when desired as arewithin the scope of the claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 1. In a cultivator,the combination of a supporting structure, a plurality of gangs ofrotary disks spaced from each other, means for adjustably mounting thegangs on the structure, adjustable disks supported in front of the gangsand arranged to throw soil oppositely from the gangs, fenders disposedin front of the last-mentioned disks and adjustable therewith, andvertically-adjustable cli ping blades mounted on the structure in frontof the said gangs.

2. In a cultivator, the combination of a beam, a transversely-extendingframe having depending arms, means for mounting one arm on the beam,devices for bracing the other arm, rotary disks adjustably mounted onthe lower ends of the arms, rearwardlyextending members secured to thearms, adjustable frames on the members, and gangs of disks mounted onsaid adjustable frame in a position behind the first-mentioned disks.

3. In a cultivator, the combination of a beam composed of jointedsections, handles connected with the rear section, gangs of disksadjustably mounted and arranged in spaced relation on the rear section,a disk adjustably mounted on the said rear section in front of one ofthe gangs, and adjustable clipping blades supported on the rear-sectionand disposed in front of the gangs.

4QII'1 a cultivator, the combination of a beam, an inverted U-shapedframe having one,arm mounted directly on the beam, a

bracket on each arm, clipping blades ad-' justably mounted on thebrackets, a block on each arm and adjustable on a vertical pivot, a diskrotatably mounted on each block and adjustable with the latter, a fenderon each block and disposed in front of the adjacent disk and adjustablymounted, and means for bracing the outer arm on the beam.

5. In a cultivator, the combination of an inverted U-shaped frame havingarms provided with horizontally-bent extremities, a rod secured at itsends to and carried by both arms and rigidly holding the latter inspaced relation, members pivotally mounted on the extremities to turn onvertical axes, means for securing the members in adjusted position,disks rotatably mounted on the members and adjustable therewith,forwardly-projecting arms on the members and adjustable therewith, andfender elements on the members and disposed in front of the disks.

6. In a cultivator, the combination of a supporting structure,laterally-extending members thereon and provided with slots, blocks,pivots between the blocks and members, bolts extending through the slotsfor connecting the members and blocks in fixed relation, disks rotatablymounted on the blocks and adjustable therewith, arms secured to theblocks by the bolts and adj ustable with the blocks, andvertically-adjustable teeth secured to the outer extremities of the armsand disposed in front of the disks.

7. In a cultivator, the combination of a beam, a frame havingvertically-extemling arms, the extremities of the arms being bentlaterally, rotary disks, fender elements disosed in front of the disks,common means 'or adjustably mounting a disk and an element on eachextremity, clipping blades adjacent each disk, members adjustablehorizontally on the arms, andmeans for-vertically adjusting the bladeson the members.

8. In a cultivator, the combination of a beam composed of hingedlyconnected sec tions, a frame having depending arms, means for securingone arm to the rear section of the beam, a brace between the other armand beam, a rod carried by the arms and bracing one arm on the other,soil-working elements on the lower extremities of the arms, membersmounted on and extending rearwardly from the arms, handles connectedwith the beams, a cross-bar between the members for holding them infixed relation, means for clamping the handles to the cross bar, a bracebetween the cross bar and one of the handles, and soil-working elementsadjustably amounted on the said members.

9. In a cultivator, the combination of a beam, an inverted U-shapedframe mounted on the beam, means for bracing the frame on the beam,disks adjustably mounted on the frame, fenders mounted on the frame anddisposed in front of the disks, rearwardly extending members connectedwith the frame, a gang of disks on each member, a cross bar rigidlyconnected with the members, handles secured to the beam, means forclamping the handles to the cross bar and against one of the saidmembers, and a brace between one of the handles and cross bar forholding the frame rigidly in position.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. WVAISON.

WVitnesses:

K. W. BARNES, N. B. BRAY.

